This move makes Rep. Bill Cassidy (R. LA) look bigoted and out of touch:
http://www.nola.com/...
Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, is offering his verdict on the immigration overhaul legislation now before the Senate. He's against it, at least as currently written.
"There must be a solution to illegal immigration," Cassidy, a 2014 Senate candidate said Monday in a statement. "The solution must begin with securing borders. As now written, the Senate bill does not secure the border and effectively creates a pathway to amnesty. With this in mind, I cannot support the Senate bill in its current form. I anticipate the House putting forward a workable alternative."
Cassidy's statement follows release of polls by two polling groups, one Republican and one Democrat, reporting that the immigration bill, drafted by eight senators - four Democrats and four Republicans - has strong support in 29 states surveyed, including Louisiana. The polls were sponsored by a pro-immigration reform group.
Public Policy Polling, the Democratic group, did the Louisiana poll and found that 43 percent strongly support the legislation, 27 percent somewhat support, while 20 percent oppose. But the question that generated those results, in the view of some of the bill's opponents, is not fairly worded. It says the legislation would secure our borders, and critics, including Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and now Cassidy, question whether the bill would achieve that.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., whom Cassidy is challenging in the 2014 Senate race, has said she is "strongly leaning" to supporting a bipartisan immigration overhaul bill that would allow the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants to eventually qualify for citizenship if they pay back taxes, learn English, pass criminal background checks and pay fines.
But Landrieu said it will come down to the amendment process. She is looking for measures that would strengthen job training so more Americans can get high-tech jobs and adjustments to help small businesses deal with the e-verify system the bill requires to keep undocumented workers from being hired.
If done properly, Landrieu said, the bill would provide an economic boom for Louisiana. - The Times-Picayune, 6/17/13
In fact, Senator Mary Landrieu's (D. LA) amendment for the immigration bill passed:
http://theadvocate.com/...
Senators approved two changes but rejected two others, including one that would require building hundreds of miles of additional border fencing, that would delay the new immigration process from going into effect.
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., successfully added an amendment to help protect the citizenship of foreign children adopted by American families. Landrieu said she is “strongly leaning” toward supporting the immigration revamp in its current form.
An amendment by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., failed.
Vitter wants to stall implementation of the changes outlined in the immigration bill until a costly “biometrics,” entry-and-exit system is installed at every land, sea and airport entry point into the country. Vitter and other Republican critics contend that the nation must first focus on fixing border security problems before Congress should even consider “amnesty.”
The bipartisan U.S. Senate bill intends to crack down on Mexican border security, offer a path to citizenship after more than 10 years and expand guest worker programs in areas ranging from the sciences to agriculture. The federal government estimates 11 million people live in the country without legal permission.
The legislation is expected to face much stiffer opposition in the U.S. House, should it pass the U.S. Senate. - The Advocate, 6/19/13
And Landrieu has helped kill some bad anti-immigration amendments:
http://www.thetowntalk.com/...
Republicans in the Senate on June 13 tried to require more border security but failed in a 57-43 vote that tabled an amendment by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. The amendment would have required the U.S.-Mexico border to be under control for six months before any immigrant who had crossed the border illegally could begin the process of obtaining legal status.
Louisiana’s senators split on the vote. Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, voted to kill Grassley’s amendment and Sen. David Vitter, a Republican, voted against killing it.
That margin could prove problematic for proponents of the bill, since it takes at least 60 votes to send it to the House for consideration and proponents are hoping for 70 votes. - The Town Talk, 6/18/13
I'm optimistic that Landrieu will vote for the immigration reform bill but I urge to keep up the pressure. Please do contact Senator Landrieu and let her know you support comprehensive immigration reform:
(202) 224-5824